The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-10-26

Finished and framed, nv boyi" an
swered Trevor; land, by the by. you
have made conquest That old |
model you saw is quite devoted TO YOU.
had to tell him all about you-who |
you are, where you live. what your in |
come is, what prospects you have
My dear Alan" cried Hughie, II |
shall probably find him waiting for |
me when / 60 home. But of course |
you are only joking. Poor old beg
gari wish | could do something for |
him. / think it is dreadful that any
one should be so miserable. | have
got heaps of old clothes at home-do
you think he would care for auv OF
themp Why, his rags were falling to
bits"
..But he looked splendid in them,
said Trevor. II wouldn't paint him
in frock coat for anything. What
you call rags / call romance. What
seems poverty to you is picturesque
ness to me. However. I'll tell him youI
offer"
ALAN, said Hughie seriously. "you
painters are heartless lot"
AN artists heart is his head" re-
piled Trevor; land besides, our bust.
ness is to realize the world as we see
~ NV W IL d. VIC hUoh IL. Il
chdcatn son meter. And now tell me
how Laura is. The old model was
quite interested in her."
You don't mean to say YOU talked
to him about her?" said Hughie.
Certainly | did. He knows all
about the relentless colonel, the lovely
damsel, and the f10,0O0
''You told that old beggar all nv
private affairs?" cried Hughie, looking
very red and angry.
MY dear boy" said Trevor smiling,
''that old beggar as you call him, is one
of the richest men in Europe. He could
buy all London tomorrow without
house in every capital. dimes off gold
plates, and can prevent Russia going
to war when he chooses"
"What on earth do you mean?" ex-
claimed Hughie.
What | say" said Trevor. 1.-The
old man you saw to-day was Baron
Hausberg. He is great friend of
mine, buys all my pictures and that
| sort of thing, and gave me a commits
sion a month ago to paint him as
| beggar. Que UoaiezUous? La fantaiste
dun millionaire! And | must say
he made a magnificent figure in his
rags, or perhaps | should say in my
rags; they are an old suit l got in
Spain.
Baron Hausbergw cried Hughie.
'.Good heavens! l gave HIM a sover-
eignw and he sank into an armchair,
the picture of dismay.
''Gave him sovereigni" shouted
Trevor, and burst into a roar of laugh
ter. my dear boy, you'll never see it
again. Son afaire c'est Pargent des
alttreSS."
Il think you might have told me,
Alan" said Hughie, sulkily, land not
let me make such fool of myself"
.'Well, to begin with, Hughie," said
Trevor; ''it never entered my mind
that you went about distributing aims
in that reckless way. l can understand
your kissing pretty model, but your
| giving sovereign to an ugly one
| by Jove, no! Besides, the fact is that
l really was not at home to-day to any
one; and when you came in l didn't
know whether Hausberg would like his
name mentioned. You know he wasn't
in full dress"
"What duffer he must think mep
said Hughie.
mot at all. He was in the highest
spirits after you left; kept chuckling
to himself and rubbing his old wrink-
led hand together. | couldn't make
out why he was so interested to know
all about you; but see it all now.
He'll invest your sovereign for you
Hughie, pay you interest every six
months, and have a capital story tc
tell after dinner"
II am an unlucky devil" growled
Hughie. ''The best thing l can do is
to go to bed; and, my dear Alan, you
mustn't tell anyone 1 shouldn't dare
to show my face in the row."
Nonsense! 1t reflects the highest
credit on your philanthropic spirit
Hughie, and don't run away. Have
another cigarette, and you can talk
about Laura as much as you like"
However. Hughie wouldn't stop, but
walked home, feeling very unhappy
and leaving Alan Trevor in fits OF
laughter.
The next morning, as he was al
breakfast, the servant brought him up
card, on which was written, IN
Gustave Naudin, de la part de M. le
Baron Hausberg." Il suppose he has
come for an apology" said Hughie tC
himself; and he told the servant to
show the visitor up.
An old gentleman with gold specta-
cles and gray hair came into the room,
and said in slight French accent
Have l the honor of addressing M.
Hugh Erskine2"
II have come from Baron Haus-
berg" he continued 1.-The baron
Il beg, sir, that you will offer him
my sincere apologies" said Hughie.
| 1.-The baron" said the old gentle.
man, with smile, ''has commissioned
me to bring you this letter." and he
handed Hughie a sealed envelope.
On the outside was written: "a wed
ding present to Hugh Erskine and
Laura Merton, from an old beggar.
and inside was check for f10,0O0.
| When they were married Alan Ire.
vor was the best man, and the baron
made a speech at the wedding break.
fast.
millionaire models" said Alan,
"are rare enough: but, by Jove, model
millionaires are rarer stillr'-London